Mobile underground diamond drill rigs offer significant advantages over the older style skid mounted configurations, which have a reputation for poor safety, low productivity, restricted drilling range and high total costs per metre. The key benefits of a mobile underground diamond rig are summarised as follows:
- Reduced rig move times -average rig move time (level to level) of 2.5 hours versus skid mounted rigs of up to 36 hours, providing significantly greater drilling time each month.
- Reduced hole set-up times- average hole to hole set up time (same cuddy) of one hour, leading to minimal non-productive time.
- Increased metres drilled – 50°/o to 100°/o increase in metres drilled per month owing to the improved mobility and minimal non productive time.
- Reduced safety hazards -major safety hazards engineered out, with no manual handling of major drilling components, reduced trip hazards, ergonomic design and self pinning ability.
- Full drilling range- the boom configuration offers 360 degree drilling capability, including the ability to drill steep up-holes, rig power and set-up covers the entire drilling scope from grade control to deep exploration wire line.
Mobile underground diamond drill rigs also offer a superior value proposition over the older style skid mounted configurations, summarised as follows:
- Reduced rig move and hole set-up times equal greater drilling time, which in turn equals increased productivity.
- Increase productivity enables the spread of fixed drilling costs over more metres, reducing the total cost per metre.
- Increased productivity also reduces the amount of non-drilling charges such as standby, reducing the total cost per metre.
- Increased productivity also reduces the number of rigs and therefore men on site by up to 50°/o, providing significant cost savings through reduced supervision, reduced flights and reduced accommodation and messing.
- Less rigs on site reduces the requirement for, and therefore cost of, providing power, water and vent.
- The mobile, fully integrated rig eliminates the need for clients to move components from site to site, reducing logistical support costs.